Electric fan.



G. OLSON.

ELECTRIC FAN.

APPLICATION man our. 15. 1911.

1,295,055. Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

M: L. m 7 ,5 W 22 e 23 /7 *0 /7 19 I ZfllfiSSfifif 5/ flimsy/07" f6 25%g I srains PATENT o nIoE.

eusrnn oLsoIv, or CHICAGO, ILLINoIs, AssIeN oR or ONE-HALF T0 MoEWEN, orCHICAGO, ILLIIvoIs.

WILLARD M.

ELECTRIC FAN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUsTAF OLsoN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ElectricFans, of which the following is a specification.

The main objects of this invention are to provide improved cushioningmeans for oscillating electric fans adapted to cushion the movement of afan at the ends of its oscillations; to provide improved means of thiskind suitable for fans of the general type shown in the patent ofWillard M. McEwen, No. 1,214,198, issued January 30, 1917, andespecially the particular typeof fan shown in my prior Patent No.1,243,968, granted October 23, 1917, and to provide an improved form ofspring adapted to be an ranged between the fan mechanism and the base,so as to absorb the shock vibrations that occur during the rapid tiltingof such fan mechanism.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of an electric fan of the type shown in myprior patent hereinbefore mentioned having the improved spring arrangedthereon. V

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the hinge connectionof said fan I showing the arrangement of the spring.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged. detail of the locking pawl for the control leverof said fan.

In the operation of fans such as those shown in the above mentionedpatents considerable vibration and jarring often occursas the fanapproaches the limit of its tilting and is reversed. The extent of thisvibration and jarring varies according to the size and weight of the fanmechanism, and is always likely to be augmented if the several partswhich coact to produce the tilting movement are not carefully made. Thepresent invention is designed to obviate this vibration and jarring.

The cushioning means is herein shown as applied to a device constructedsubstantially the same as that illustrated in the aforesaid patents. Theblower mechanism, which comprises the usual motor (not shown) Journaledin a casing 2 and carrying a fan 3 on the shaft 4 of said motor, istiltably; supported on a shaft or member 5 which is 1'0- tatably mountedon a base or support 6. A sleeve or member 7 is also journaled on thesupport 6, concentrically of the shaft 5, and has formed thereon anoutwardly disposed annular flange 8 of wavelike form. The upper face ofthis flange provides a track 9 on which rollers 10, journaled on themotor casing 2, are adapted to travel for the purpose of causing theblower mecha- IllSHl 1 to tilt back and forth in a vertical plane duringa relative rotation of the sleeve 7 and the member 5.

The relative rotation of the sleeve 7 and the member 5 is effected by agear rack 11 formedon the periphery of the flange 8 and a pinion 12meshing therewith. The pinion 12 is carried on a shaft 13 journaled inthe motor casing 2, and by suitable gearing conmeets with the shaft 4 ofthe motor.

Theshaft or member 5 has a pair of arms 14 formed thereon which extendupwardly and outwardly over the flange 8. The ends 15 of the arms 14 aredoubled back at the sides of the flange, so that the mounting for theblower mechanism overhangs the support 6. Lugs 16, depending from andintegrally formed on the motor casing 2, are pivotally connected to thearm ends 15 bymeans of pins 17 so as to support the blower mechanism inposition to allow it to be tilted in a vertical plane as hereinbeforeexplained. The axis of the pins is located substantially half-Waybetween the crowns and depressions of the flange 8, so that the rollers10 have the same action 011 the track 9 whether traveling over thecrowns or the depressions.

A tubular passage 5.1 is formed in the shaft 5 through which conductorwires lead from the motor to a source of electricity.

The cushioning or buffer means comprises a spring 18 which is twistedinto a sort of S-shaped form with the ends thereof eX- tending inopposite directions substantially transverse to the central portion ofthe spring. The ends of this spring are secured one to the under side ofthe casing 2 at one side of the plane of the pivotal connec tion of thecasingto the shaft 5, andthe other end is connected to the outer end.15of one of the arms l4 fonned on the shaft 5.

The fan mechanism herein shown employs the same principle'of operationas that set forth in the above mentioned patent to Willard 1McEwen,wherein by tilting, the blower-mechanism up and down in a verticalplane, through the relative rotation of the member or sleeve 7 and shaft5, gyratory forces are brought into action which cause the fan to swingback and forth in a horizontal plane. The gyratory forces cause areversal of the direction of the horizontal swinging movement wheneverthe vertical tilting movement is reversed, and the rapidity of change inand the angular extent of the horizontal movement depend upon therapidity of change in and the angular extent of the vertical movement.

As the fan tilts back and forth in its vertical plane, the spring 18tends to take up any lost motion or absorb any shocks that occur,especially as .the fan mechanism reaches the limit of its tiltingmovement and reverses. Furthermore the spring tends to assist and makeeasier the change in the direction of tilting.

Control mechanism for regulating thevarious movements of the fancomprises a leveror finger 19 pivotally mounted on the base 6 andadapted to be swung into an upright position to permit the upper endthereof to either engage a notch 20 formed in the end 15 of one of thearms lt, or engage a groove 21 formed in the face of the member 7 Whenthe finger 19 is seated in the notch 20 the shaft 5 is secured againstrotation'which allows the member 7- to be rotated and the fan mechanismtilts upand downin a fixed vertical-plane. When the finger 19 is seatedin the groove 21 in the member 7, said member is held against rotationand the fan mechanism is rotated about a vertical axis and at the sametime tilted up and down.

When the finger 19 is in the position shown in Fig. 1 both the shaft 5'and the member 7 are free torotate, and the fan mechanism oscillatesback and forth as it is tilted up and down. In order to limit theangularity of'these oscillations a spring 22 is provided, one endofwhich is secured to a awl 23 pivotally mounted on the base 6 adacenttothe finger 19, and the other end of which is adapted to befastened to an eye let 24 secured on the end 15 of one of the arms 14.When this spring is fastened in the position shown in Fig. 1 with theupper end attachedto eyelet24, the pawl 23 is elevated to is theposition shown in Figs. 1 and 3, so thatthe shoulder 25 on said pawl'isdisposed so as to' preventthe'finger 19 from being thrownup-Wardlyinto'a position to engage either the notch2l) or the groove 21.This avoids the 7 Copies of this patent inay obtained for possibility ofthe finger'19 being set to engage the notch 20 or the groove 21 when thespring 22 is arranged to'limit the angular I movement of the fanmechanism.

i but one sp ecific embodiment 7 of this invention has been herein shownand described, it will be understood that numerous details of theconstruction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from thespirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:v

1. In an air circulating device, the combination of a support, a memberjournaled thereon, arms on said member extending outwardly therefrom andhaving their 'ends doubled back at the sides of said support, blowermechanism, lugs on said blower mechanism pivotally connected to said armends, coacting means on said support and blower mechanism adapted totilt said mechanism, and yieldin means interposed between said blowermec ianism and one of said arms and adapted to cushion the tiltingmovements of said blower mechanism.

2. In an air circulating device, the combination of a support, a memberjournaled thereon, arms on said member extending outwardly therefrom andhaving their ends doubled back at the sides of said support, blowermechanism, lugs on said blower mechanism pivotally connected to said armends, coacting means on said support and blower mechanism adapted totilt said mechanism, and a spring interposed between said blowermechanism and one of said arms and adapted to cushion the tiltingmovements of said blower mechanism.

3. In an air circulating device, the combination of a support, a memberrotatably mounted thereon, blower mechanism tiltably mounted on saidmember, mechanism for tilting said blower mechanism whereby it will becaused to oscillate in a plane transverse to that in which it is tilted,and a substantially S-shaped spring wire having one end connected tosaid blower mechanism and the other end to said member and adapted tocushion the tilting movements. of said blower mechanism.

l. In an air circulating device, the combination of a support, a memberjournaled thereon, arms on said member extending outtober, 1917.

' GUSTAF OLSON.

five cents each; by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,washingtom'n. 0.

